100 billion. That’s the number of plastic shopping bags that the EPA estimates Americans consume each year. (Incidentally, also the number of stars in our galaxy!)
This is really bad news, especially when you consider that plastic bags are made from petroleum, a non-renewable resource and only 1% of bags are ever recycled. The rest sit in landfills, where they don’t decompose. Ever. And let’s not forget about the bags that end up tangled in our city’s trees.
In his latest environmental proposal, Mayor Bloomberg has taken on the plastic bag menace. In an effort to encourage the use of reuasable shopping bags, the mayor’s proposal requires all stores to charge customers 6 cents per plastic bag.
This isn’t a new idea. It’s been successful in other places, most notably in Ireland, where customers are charged 33 cents per bag. Also, San Francisco recently became the first city to ban plastic bags entirely.
Overall, this seems like a solid plan that would give consumers a choice and bring their attention to the consequences of their choice. One concern mentioned in the Times article is that 6 cents isn’t a large enough tax. Experts have noted that 25 cents is the threshold that would cause consumers to change their behavior.
The Times commenters also bring up some interesting questions. Will the fee disproportionately affect low income New Yorkers? Why does the mayor want to slap us with yet another tax during these difficult economic times? What will we use to line our trash cans at home?
What do you think? Would the plastic bag tax make you switch over to reusable shopping bags if you haven’t already?
